See You at the RAGBRAI Expo in Onawa!
If you’re heading to RAGBRAI LIII, be sure to stop by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition booth (#61) at the RAGBRAI Expo!
We’ll have our ever-popular RAGBRAI top tube route stickers, a selection of Iowa Bicycle Coalition swag, and we’ll be debuting our brand-new Adventure by Bike t-shirt.
While you’re there, take a few minutes to learn more about the Coalition’s work to improve bicycle safety, expand access, connect communities, and advocate for riders across Iowa. Whether you’re already a member or just getting to know us, we’d love to meet you.
Visit Booth #61 to pick up your route sticker, grab some IBC gear, become a member, and be part of the work that’s making Iowa the best place to ride a bike.
Find Your Next Adventure by Bike
Whether you’re looking for a signature ride, a family-friendly event, a skills clinic, or your next cycling challenge, there’s always something happening across Iowa. Here are a few upcoming Iowa Bicycle Coalition feature events to add to your calendar.
Pint Night Ride with SingleSpeed Brewing
Des Moines, IA
Join SingleSpeed and Chain & Spoke for a fun, community-driven evening, where great rides, live music, and great beer support an even greater cause! 10% of all taproom food and beverage sales from 4 PM to close will be donated to the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Whether you ride or just stop in for a pint, you’re helping make a difference.
Wheels and Wings Bike Ride
Story County
Looking for even more opportunities to ride? Visit the BIKEIOWA Events Calendar—Iowa’s go-to resource for bicycle rides, races, and cycling events happening year-round.
One Year Later: Iowa’s Hands-Free Law Is Making a Difference
July 1 marked one year since Iowa’s hands-free driving law took effect. The new law prohibits drivers from holding or using a phone or other electronic device while behind the wheel, making Iowa the 31st state to adopt hands-free legislation.
The early results are encouraging. According to Axios, the law is estimated to have prevented 470 crashes, 210 injuries, and three fatalities in its first year. The data also shows fewer drivers are actively using their phones behind the wheel—a meaningful shift in behavior that is helping make Iowa’s roads safer for everyone.
For the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, this is exactly why we advocate for policies that improve safety for all road users. Whether you’re riding a bike, walking across the street, or driving to work, reducing distracted driving creates safer roads and helps prevent crashes before they happen.
While there’s still work to do, the first year of Iowa’s hands-free law is an encouraging reminder that small changes in driver behavior can have a lasting impact.
The best way to support safer roads? Keep your phone down, stay alert, and encourage others to do the same. Together, we can continue making Iowa a safer place to ride, walk, and drive.
Leading a Unified Approach to E-Mobility in Iowa
As electric bikes, electric scooters, and other personal mobility devices continue to grow in popularity, Iowa communities are facing a common challenge: how to improve safety while preserving access to trails, streets, and public spaces.
Rather than creating a patchwork of different local regulations, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, Street Collective, and BIKEIOWA have partnered to develop a unified model ordinance designed for adoption by communities across Iowa.
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The goal is simple: one consistent approach that creates clear expectations for riders, simplifies enforcement, and provides communities with confidence that their local ordinances align with statewide best practices.
The ordinance has been carefully developed to ensure new regulations do not unintentionally restrict or conflict with the rights of people riding traditional bicycles or Class 1, 2, and 3 electric bicycles under existing Iowa law.
By working together, our organizations believe communities can avoid the confusion that comes when neighboring cities adopt different rules for the same types of devices. Riders deserve consistency, and communities deserve a proven framework that balances safety, access, and enforceability.
Our work also extends beyond the local level. Building on this collaborative effort, the Coalition and its partners are preparing recommendations for statewide legislation during the 2027 legislative session. Establishing a consistent statewide framework will further improve safety while protecting the rights of responsible riders across Iowa.
If your community is considering an e-mobility ordinance, we’d like to help. Contact the Iowa Bicycle Coalition to obtain a copy of the unified model ordinance and learn how your community can be part of a consistent statewide approach.
IBC in the News
2026 IBC Good Ride Series Showcased Iowa by Bike
This summer, more than 1,700 riders explored Iowa one mile at a time through the Iowa Bicycle Coalition’s Ride Series.
From the High Trestle Trail to the Great Western Trail, the Raccoon River Valley Trail, and the communities connected by the Iowa River Corridor and Hoover Nature Trail, each ride offered something different—but they all shared one purpose: connecting people with the places that make Iowa special.
Every stop along the route creates an opportunity for riders to discover a new favorite café, visit a local brewery, shop downtown, or simply experience a community they may have otherwise driven past. Those visits support local businesses while showcasing the trails and small towns that make Iowa a destination for bicycling.
For the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, the Ride Series is about strengthening Iowa’s trail communities, encouraging people to explore by bike, and demonstrating how bicycling supports local economies, healthier lifestyles, and stronger connections between people and places. Check out some photos and videos from the ride on our Facebook page.
Every registration helps advance that work – supporting advocacy, education, trail development, and bicycle safety across the state.
Riding Toward a Better Iowa
Every trail connection, safety program, advocacy effort, and community ride begins with people who believe Iowa can be a better place to ride a bike.
Whether you ride every day, volunteer your time, support our work, or simply believe in safer, more connected communities, your gift helps turn that vision into reality.
Your support expands access, improves safety, strengthens communities, and ensures more Iowans experience the joy and freedom of riding a bike.
Together, we’re building a better Iowa by bike.
Make a gift today and help keep Iowa rolling toward a better future.
